Speed Loading of PDF Files

Get Acrobat reader to load faster by unplugging the parts you don't need.

Our readers frequently ask why Adobe Reader 6 is so slow to load when they open a PDF file. The main reason is that the Reader doesn't load aloneit comes with a crowd of plug-ins. If you watch the splash screen carefully you can see their names flip past. Most people need only a handful of these plug-ins. If you'd like to load PDF files faster, follow these simple instructions:

Launch Windows Explorer

Navigate to the Program Files folder, usually C:\Program Files

Below this, navigate to Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader

In the right-hand pane, find the folder named plug_ins

Right-click it and choose Rename, changing it to plug_ins_NOT

Create a new folder named plug_ins

From the plug_ins_NOT folder, copy just three files to the new plug_ins folder: EWH32.api, printme.api, and search.api

That's all you need do. The next time you load a PDF file, only those three plug-ins will come along, and you should notice a significant speed improvement. If you need to read encrypted PDFs or if for any other reason you want to undo this change, simply close Adobe Reader, delete the plug_ins folder and rename plug_ins_NOT back to plug_ins.
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Neil Rubenking served as vice president and president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years when the IBM PC was brand new. He was present at the formation of the Association of Shareware Professionals, and served on its board of directors. In 1986, PC Magazine brought Neil on board to handle the torrent of Turbo Pascal tips submitted by readers. By 1990, he had become PC Magazine's technical editor, and a coast-to-coast telecommuter. His "User to User" column supplied readers with tips...
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